The Chaos Parasite
by Valley-and-Tyro
Summary: When Equestria is taken over by Doctor Robotnik and Queen Chrysalis, Princess Celestia and Luna turn to forces outside their own world to help take down the Robotnik/Changeling empire and restore Harmony. "When Harmony fails, we must call upon Chaos"
1. Chapter 1

Hi, so this is a new thing for me and my boyfriend. He'd had this idea for ages and never acted on it so I sat him down and came up with this. I did most of the work but he helped with the dialogue and stuff. Anyways, this is actually our first attempt at a MLP/Sonic crossover so enjoy!

Oh, and we don't own My Little Pony or Sonic the Hedgehog. Rich people do.

**Chapter One: The Trial**

"_Everything's gonna be just fine" _

Twilight Sparkle remembered those words and that day as clear as the dawn. It had only been a week since she had become an Alicorn and was named fourth Princess of Equestria. She could still hear and see the cheers and smiles of the crowd, the music of the marching band, and the smiles of her best friends and mentor, and for the first time in a very long time, it truly did look like everything was going to be fine.

Today was a far cry from fine as anypony could get.

Everything had continued placidly in Ponyville as it had for numerous years, the population continuing with the usual chores and pleasures of daily life. Then, without warning, early into the evening, Rainbow Dash, who'd been napping on a cloud after a practice session and a hard day's work, found herself dodging rogue lightning bolts, tornadoes, hail and sleet with no trace as to where it came from, which spelt disaster for Rarity's latest hairstyle and newest dress, and Pinkie Pie's latest masterpiece: The Leaning Tower of Pizza. Fluttershy's typical frolic with her animal friends had been rudely interrupted when the wild life began running rampant with reckless abandon. The flora had begun aging rapidly, causing Applejack's latest harvest to go to waste before she could even collect it. The madness quieted, for just a moment, and as the populace began to recover, an earthquake struck Ponyville quite unexpectedly, and Twilight Sparkle was more than annoyed when the books she'd spent all day rearranging fell off the shelves and nearly buried her alive.

No one knew what the cause of all of this was, but all they did know was: The events were random and senseless.

The only way to describe it was chaos.

Dishevelled and shaken, but otherwise unharmed, the six ponies met up in the Ponyville library, a natural instinct, because Twilight, or rather Celestia's letters, would usually answer all their questions. Princess Celestia had sent Twilight a letter via Spike that a chariot would be arriving to take her and her fellow Element Bearers directly to Canterlot Castle for what was only described as "The Trial". The Elements were donned quickly, and they bustled into the chariot, but Twilight was confused as she read over the contents of the letter for the third time since it was received.

"The Trial?" She wondered aloud, more to herself than anypony else. "Trial for what? And for whom?"

"C'mon Twilight," Rainbow Dash spoke up. She had chosen to fly alongside the chariot rather than be cramped in with the others, regulating her speed so she wouldn't rush ahead. "We _all_ know it's for you-know-who,"

From her seat, Fluttershy gave her oldest friend a doubtful glance. "But, Rainbow Dash, he's reformed," she said, and Rainbow couldn't help but roll her eyes at her naïveté. "He-he's not a bad guy anymore….right?"

"Well, he's never been the most honest apple in the tree, Fluttershy," Applejack's tone was soft and almost maternal as she addressed the passive pegasus. "He coulda been playin' us the whole time!"

Pinkie Pie had been sitting upside down in her seat, giggling to herself at the funny angle the world had taken, but now she turned around, right way up.

"Yeah!" she added. "He might have been pretending to have changed, but deep down he was still a big _meanie-pants_!"

"Darling, he never wore pants" Rarity was completely focussed on her necklace, polishing it fervently and becoming irritated because it wasn't as shiny as she wanted it to be.

"Well if he _did_," Pinkie continued, "They would be JEANIE MEANIE PANTS!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow, more at Rarity than at Pinkie Pie's antics. "Rarity, you've been scrubbin' down your necklace since we left Ponyville,"

"But it's just so dull!" she protested, still not looking up from her work.

"Chill girl! We ain't goin' to the Grand Gallopin' Gala!"

"No, I don't mean dirty, I literally mean dull, as in my Element seems to be losing its colour," Rarity couldn't help but notice that Applejack's Element of Honesty also appeared to be faded.

"And so does yours!"

Each of the mane six looked down at their Elements of Harmony (up in Twilight's case) and noticed that the once vibrant gold necklaces and crown now seemed tarnished to a lacklustre bronze, their gemstones looking lighter than usual.

"Hey, Applejack's right!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "The Elements are looking kinda down in the dumps. What's all this about?"

A worried look crossed Fluttershy's face. "You don't think this has anything to do with the storms or the earthquakes or the animals acting troublesome, do you?"

"No darling, I just think we haven't taken very good care of them," Rarity finally gave up on her necklace and pulled Fluttershy closer to start work on her Element. "Any jewel needs regular care and attention to keep them looking their best."

"But the Elements of Harmony aren't just any jewels," Twilight spoke up, "And why would they be dull? Why haven't we noticed until now?"

If there were any more doubts they didn't have a chance to raise them. It was fully night time as they flew over Canterlot, and they were stunned into silence as the lamplight revealed several houses in ruin from the earthquake. Many ponies could be seen running around to try and save their homes, snobby unicorns getting their fresh hooficures ruined as they scrabbled around in rubble trying to salvage their memories. The capital city seemed to be experiencing the same random events that Ponyville was, but what really caught Twilight's eye, much to her relief and slight confusion was the overall good condition the castle was in. As the chariot landed the mane six were greeted by Princess Luna. She looked weary and a little worried at first, but the sight of Twilight and her friends were enough to bring a small smile to her face.

"Princess Luna!" Twilight hopped off the chariot and made her way towards the Night Princess, the others following suit. "What's going on? What's happening to Ponyville and Canterlot?"

Luna cleared her throat and turned to the main castle, her face solemn. "Follow me,"

As they headed towards the grand hall, she looked back at them, letting out a small sigh as she answered the question before.

"It is not just Ponyville and Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle, _all_ of Equestria is being affected,"

All six ponies spoke at the same time.

"W_hat_?!"

"Yes, Saddle-Arabia, Trottingham, Manehattan, all falling victim to these random events,"

"But then why does the castle look fine?" Twilight pondered.

"My sister has a theory about that,"

They approached the doors to the main hall, but before they opened she turned back to the six ponies.

"I must warn you, she is not herself today,"

They entered, and sure enough Twilight noticed that Celestia was pacing, her former teacher's face creased with a mixture of worry and anger. She also appeared to be muttering to herself, but at Luna's prompt she finally looked up, stopped pacing and her expression softened.

"Welcome, all of you," she said. "These are dire times, my little ponies. Today Equestria's fate lies in your Elements of Harmony,"

"The Elements of Harmony?" Twilight asked. "Princess Celestia, I don't understand. What's going on? Please tell us what we're supposed to do,"

Celestia paused, conflicted with how the other ponies would react to what she had to say next. After a moment she let out a sigh, and decided to get it over with quickly.

"I want you to summon Discord,"

The Mane Six gasped, unintentionally speaking in unison again. "Discord?!"

"He is the only one with the power to create these disasters out of thin air," Celestia replied, and without realising she started pacing again. "He has obviously taken advantage of our kindness. He _will_ regret the chaos he has caused today,"

Applejack was doubtful, and as much as she respected the princess, she had to voice her opinion. "Princess, Ah've never trusted Discord as much as Fluttershy here, but Ah don't think even he is capable of what's goin' on,"

"Where is your evidence, Applejack?"

"Well," she continued. "Discord's idea of chaos is fun at the expense of others like cotton candy clouds and chocolate rain. Ah don't see how even he could have fun from all this,"

"Unless he has used his freedom to test the limits of his powers," Celestia countered.

Rainbow Dash normally wouldn't stand up for the spirit of chaos, but Celestia really didn't seem to be in the right state of mind to be dealing out judgement on anybody, especially since she was criticizing Discord based on assumptions, not facts. Her wings flared and she took a defensive stance, and before she could stop herself she had spoken without thinking.

"Where's _your_ evidence, Celestia?"

The Sun Princess stopped and whirled around, her eyes blazing, and the look she gave Rainbow was one of fury, something not many ponies saw often.

"_Are you saying I'm wrong_?!"

She practically yelled the question, her voice almost rising to the Traditional Canterlot level, and every pony in the room seemed to shrink back and focus on the scene at the same time. Rainbow relaxed and remained silent, staring at the floor in a show of submission, biting her tongue to keep from saying anything more, though she was tempted to tell Celestia that yes, yes she was wrong and this whole conversation was clearly one-sided.

Twilight stepped forward, in an attempt to defend Rainbow Dash. This was getting ridiculous, and she realised Luna was right: Celestia wasn't herself. In fact, even in all her years as Celestia's student, she'd never once seen the Alicorn raise her voice like that to _anypony_.

"No, Princess, we're not. But—"

Celestia cut her off, scowling.

"No more arguing, then. Summon. Him. _Now,_"

Her voice echoed through the hall, and out of curiosity, a small crowd began to gather behind the Element bearers as, reluctantly, they formed the circle that would summon the Draconequus. Twilight hoped that this was only a trial, and not an execution. With a worried glance at her former mentor, she concentrated hard, and a gentle flash lit up her eyes, a ribbon of rainbow light snaking from her crown and joining the other elements. Another soft, white flare and Discord materialised, floating upside down on a throne of bubbles, immersed in a book titled 'Scented Venom'. He quickly realised he was somewhere else, without wanting to be, and he looked up from reading into the angry face of Celestia, a lazy smirk slowly playing across his mouth as the bubbles and the book blinked out of existence.

"Hello, Celestia, I was _just_ thinking about you,"

She didn't bother to answer him, and, without any word of warning, fired a beam of yellow light at him, hitting him squarely in the chest. A strange, but pleasant sensation swept over him, a feeling of warm and cool at the same time, and when he tried to move, he realised he couldn't. He was righted by means of Celestia's magic, and he found that he could only blink. His mouth twitched as he tried to speak.

"What-?"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just destroy you right now,"

For the first time in his life, Discord felt like cringing, instead of laughing, at the anger radiating from Princess Celestia. She towered above him, her wings flared wide, looking down on him almost with disgust, her horn sparking with energy and aimed straight at his head. The Alicorn looked furious and, had it been another situation, he would have poked fun at the look on her face, but she appeared ready to vaporise him on the spot if he so much as sneezed without her permission. Discord kept it to himself, and would, of course, die before admitting it, but he was actually scared. He opened his mouth to say something—he had no idea what, but he planned to improvise—but Celestia stomped a hoof and continued.

"You've gone too far this time. This is…it's downright evil, even for you,"

Finally Discord gathered his courage and spoke up. This wasn't fair: hoof-pointing out of absolutely nowhere and no explanation to what he was being accused of. Even the spirit of disharmony had his morals.

"I don't-"

"How DARE you?!" Celestia's tone of voice had been scarily calm before, but her voice rose unexpectedly to the Traditional Canterlot level, something she rarely did. Even Luna, who was beside her sister but out of her way, glanced at the Sun Princess in surprise.

"Why do you try to deny it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Discord growled through clenched teeth. Fear was quickly giving way to frustration as he floated there, growing rapidly annoyed as he was interrupted again. A thought crossed his mind: Celestia in a Judge's wig, pounding her hoof like a gavel and screaming "ORDER! Order in the court!" and he had to stifle a giggle. The more he infuriated the Princess, the more he didn't feel like himself. He liked it when Celestia was pissed off, he found it hilarious in fact, but this time was different. Faking all this obedience was out-of-character for him, but as much as he wished he could turn Celestia into a court judge, maybe give the statue-serious guards bald heads and green tails and turn the entire Canterlot castle into a giant, spinning sandwich, he also wanted to keep his own head.

"What I'm talking about is chaos," Celestia continued to glare at him as she spoke, her voice still tinged with venom. "Through all of Equestria. I'm sure you're familiar with it,"

Discord let out a bored groan, rolling his eyes.

"I don't see what-"

"You should!" The Alicorn yelled, and Discord saw Twilight Sparkle flinch. "You should have seen what you did to Equestria. Los Pegasus is in ruins, Cloudsdale is causing abnormal weather patterns, Manehattan's on fire. I should have known you couldn't be reformed. My country's in turmoil, Discord, what did you expect me to think? Who else could have done this but you?!"

The crowd of ponies behind the Mane Six raised their voices in agreement, and the Draconequus clearly heard a pony yell out "Turn him to stone, Princess!"

Celestia heard it too.

"I should, you know; it's what you deserve. To say the very least,"

"Well," Discord began, and he waited for another interruption from Celestia, but she raised an eyebrow and let him continue. "If I _did _do this -and I'm certainly not saying I did—but _if_ I did, I would want you to know it was me. And you and I both know by now that if it _was _me, I'd be gloating right now, but I'm not. So where does that put you in your little predicament?"

Celestia hesitated. She hated to admit it, but he had a point. Discord had never been one for subtlety or modesty regarding his chaos. She had almost been expecting his usual mocking laughter and some sort of proud speech about how much _fun_ this all was, but had overlooked the obvious in her anger. Maybe he wasn't to blame. Maybe it was somepony else who was causing this…

Or maybe he was just messing with her head. As quickly as they had come, Celestia pushed away her doubts. He _was_ responsible for this. There was no way anyone else had his sort of power. That was just the way things were. She steeled herself and her voice was loud enough to be heard by everyone in the hall.

"I have no choice, Discord. I hereby sentence you to be imprisoned in stone. Indefinitely,"

Celestia's face seemed completely void of any kind of emotion as she spelled out the Draconequus' fate to him. The words hit him like a buck to the face and he felt that all too familiar twinge of fear at the thought of returning to his world of paralysed grey. That scared him more than Celestia's fury ever could: day after day of sensory deprivation minus his sense of hearing, and the inability to move, left alone with only his thoughts.

It couldn't be helped.

Once Celestia's mind was made up, there was no changing it.

With a heavy sigh and great reluctance, Discord silently admitted defeat.

"Nothing I say will change anything," he said sulkily. "So go ahead,"

The element bearers took their positions, their elements glowing as they began to float off the ground, Twilight's eyes turning white. Just before the rainbow stream of light fired, he heard Celestia speak, the last words he imagined he'd ever hear from her.

"I'm not sorry. Equestria will always come first,"

Discord squeezed his eyes shut as it enveloped him, pleasantly warm and painfully uncomfortable at the same time. He waited for his body to stiffen and cool and the world to become muffled and grey.

He waited, but it never happened.

After a moment, he dared himself to open his eyes, breathing a sigh of relief when the simple movement proved that he was still in his usual form. But what drew his attention, as well as every other pony in the room, was the Mane Six. They still hung suspended in the air, as if hung by some invisible string, their eyes opened wide and staring toward the ceiling, frozen in a state of fear. Their colours had faded, and every pony was now a dull shade of grey, like the spell had backfired and had turned them to stone instead of him. Suddenly a collective scream exploded through the hall; all six ponies at once—the kind of scream that radiated agony and dread simultaneously. Celestia panicked and fired a counter spell, but it bounced uselessly off an invisible barrier.

The screaming rose in pitch and volume until it became unbearable, gradually dissolving into shrieking, maniacal laughter. Their legs began moving, bending in jerky, twitching movements, further and further back until a new sound joined the insane laughter: it was a cracking, straining sound, like breaking twigs, and the Alicorns, and the small crowd of ponies could only stare in wide-eyed horror and open-mouthed disgust as their legs twisted and contorted slowly.

They didn't seem to feel the pain when their legs broke. They just continued to laugh.

As quickly as it had come, the laughter abruptly stopped. The mane six dropped to the floor with a weighty thud and lay there, unmoving. Thinking they were injured, Celestia started forward, concerned for their well-being. Another cracking sound filled the air and stopped her in her tracks: the sound of breaking stone, and she watched as the grey fell off them like shattered eggshells. One by one they picked themselves up off the floor, and instead of grey, the main six had taken on new forms and colours. They were all considerably taller; about the same height as Luna, but that was where the similarities ended. The colours of their manes and coats had changed, inverted, and it was like looking at a photo negative of the six ponies. Pinkie Pie's mane hung down in a deflated curtain, Applejack's beloved Stetson lay neglected on the floor, both Rarity's and Twilight's horns had grown longer and came to a finer point, and Rainbow Dash's once vibrant mane was now shades of black and grey. Their eyes opened, and where there was supposed to be white, there was black. And where there was meant to be colour, there was white.

There was only silence as these six new mares stood where Equestria's Element Bearers once did, and not even Discord could find anything to say. Celestia decided to make another attempt to approach them, not sure if there was anything left of the Mane 6 within these ponies or what their intentions were.

"Twilight?" she began, in a small, timid voice that didn't suit her at all. "Girls, are you alright? What happened?"

Those strange black and white eyes turned on her, and with slow, sadistic smiles all six ponies marched towards her, backing her and Luna up several steps, where they stopped, and in voices deeper than their own, they finally spoke, first Fluttershy, then Rainbow Dash, then Pinkie Pie, then Rarity, then Applejack.

"We are Cruelty,"

"We are Betrayal,"

"We are Desolation,"

"We are Avarice,"

"We are Deception,"

"We are the Power of Disharmony,"

Twilight was the last to speak, spreading her wings wide and looking down her nose at her former mentor.

Celestia was at a loss, until it clicked:

There had only been one time when her six element bearers would ever have embraced their negative element, and that was when they were under Discord's control. Her eyes widened at the realisation, her breath caught in her throat and she became numb.

"Well…this is an interesting change of events," Discord muttered.

He had been watching the entire scene with shocked amusement, as if the ponies' transformation was the major plot twist in a movie.

That did it.

Something inside Celestia's head snapped, and every emotion she had tried to keep hidden for the sake of her reputation came pouring out in one big flood. Her eyes narrowed to slits and she charged at the Draconequus with a shriek of rage. She knocked him to the floor, ramming a golden clad hoof into his neck and cutting off his air.

"_WHAT DID YOU DO_?!"

She screamed the question in his face. The combination of surprise at her outburst and the increasing pressure on his throat prevented him from replying, and he could only lie there and try to take in air that wouldn't come, attempting to struggle but still unable to move because of the immobilisation spell. She saw a flicker of fear in his red and yellow eyes as they met hers and she was glad. All those years of him causing mayhem and treating it like one big joke, every time he had disrespected her, every sneer and infuriating trick had built up to this. Discord was getting his comeuppance and she felt not one shred of regret for it, and if that ruined her reputation, then so be it. She didn't feel anything but the numbness of her fury, nor Luna trying to pry her off him. She heard nothing but his choked, strained cries and saw only his face, silently and desperately pleading with her to let him go.

Funny how villains changed their tune when their lives were threatened.

Suddenly a heavy explosion rocked the castle, and the large, magnificent stained glass windows displayed at the top of the main stairs imploded. Surprised, Celestia's hoof lifted off Discord's neck and he lay there coughing and gasping. Laughter rang through the hall, deep, mocking and velvety, and a loud buzzing joined it as a thin, shadowy, perforated figure appeared in the jagged space where the windows had been. It opened two glassy, green eyes, and fangs showed as it leered down at the now panicking crowd, long, stringy, dull blue hair flowing around it. Celestia gasped in recognition.

"Chrysalis?!"

The insect-like Queen looked down at her, her smile growing wider.

"Lovely to see you, too, Celestia," she purred. "It's been _so_ long, hasn't it?"

"Not long enough," Celestia growled. Her body still trembled with adrenaline and she was more than willing to fight the Changeling Queen if she had to. Suddenly the buzzing grew louder and a flood of changelings poured into the room, advancing on the gathering of ponies. A few turned and ran for the exit. Just as they reached the doors, they burst open, and the willing escapees shrieked and scrabbled their way back into the castle.

Celestia whirled around…

And was met with three pairs of glowing, red eyes.

Or at least she thought they were eyes; they seemed more like pinpricks of sunken red light, burning blood-like in void.

Every muscle in her body screamed at her to run, to protect her subjects, but she couldn't move. She could only gape, dumbfounded, at these new and frightening…_things_…standing in front of her.

They stood shorter than her and seemed to be of the same species. All three were different colours: two were blue: one darker, the other more vivid, and one was a pale grey. They had squat, triangular bodies with long, thin arms, standing on hind legs that ended in odd, pointed, red appendages. On the ends of their arms was a strange kind of hoof that split in five places; three on one. Their heads looked much too large for their bodies; the only facial extremities were those strange 'eyes' and a spike that seemed to substitute for a nose. All three had numerous sharp looking fins protruding from the back of their heads.

A mass of other creatures appeared, mostly unidentifiable to the Equestrian Princesses, but the forms they could recognise looked like large ladybugs and wasps. They made strange whirring, clanking sounds.

"What are these creatures?" Luna asked. She stretched out a curious hoof but Celestia stopped her, an uneasy feeling rising in her gut. Both Princesses jumped as a new voice boomed through the hall.

"THEY ARE MY CREATIONS: SILVER SONIC, MECHA SONIC AND METAL SONIC!"

Celestia wondered briefly if it was Chrysalis who'd spoken, then quickly dismissed the thought as she realised the voice was male. The owner of the voice didn't appear to be in the room, adding to her frustrations.

"Show yourself immediately!" she cried.

Chrysalis let out a short peal of taunting laughter.

"Oh yes, how rude of me to forget to introduce my new friend," She held a hoof to her chest in a show of mock guilt and her gleaming eyes flicked towards the open doorway.

"Would you care to do the honours, Doctor?"

Celestia saw…_something_…coming slowly out of the darkness, moving smoothly and steadily towards her.

"It would be my pleasure, Your Highness,"

It was then that the creatures moved. In slow, deliberate, jerky movements they parted to one side like obedient soldiers, and the thing stepped into the light and bent at the middle at the sight of her.

"It's an honour to finally meet you at last, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,"

The three creatures now seemed trivial compared to whatever this thing was. It was tall; about her height, and looked to be both bloated and gaunt at the same time, with a tiny head and two long tufts of hair under what she guessed was its nose. Two vacant blue orbs, which may or may not have been eyes, glinted at her and a leering smile split across its face as it straightened its posture and spoke. Its voice was deep and clearly masculine but for all Celestia knew, it could've been genderless.

"My name is Doctor Robotnik. And it appears that our plan has worked better than anticipated,"

For the second time that night, Celestia found herself speechless in the presence of a creature she'd never seen before.

"Plan?" Luna spoke up.

"That's right, Luna," The Robotnik-thing addressed her as if she was a mere filly who'd answered a question correctly in school, and Celestia bristled at its impudence. Clearly it knew that they were royalty; it just didn't seem to care.

"The natural disasters you've been experiencing aren't natural at all. _We control them_,"

Celestia's mind reeled. There was no way this thing was manipulating the mayhem they'd experienced. It didn't seem magic; if it was she'd seen no proof. One, and only one, was responsible for this. Finally she found her voice and she walked forward a few paces, still trying to maintain her confident ruse, although she was inwardly screaming in absolute terror.

"That's impossible. This kind of land altering chaos can only be performed by Discord. He is guilty of this!"

A deep, booming chortle escaped the Robotnik-thing, and it moved closer to her, its thin arms behind it in a kind of at-ease stance. Celestia backed up, crouching low and scraping a hoof against the floor threateningly, flaring her wings again.

"Thanks to my brilliant ideas and the Queen's ideal brilliance—"

Chrysalis giggled and swiped a hole-ridden hoof down through the air in a fake show of modesty. "Oh _you_,"

"—_anything_ is possible. So as much as it may disappoint you, Princess, Discord is not directly responsible. However, he has been…useful,"

Its head turned in the direction of the six ponies still standing, unmoving, on the very top step.

"As Princess of Equestria I command you to free them from whatever curse you have them under!" she growled, and for a second, the Robotnik-thing hesitated. Then suddenly it gave her that sadistic grin again, and Chrysalis nodded to the corrupted Twilight Sparkle. With a green flash, the royal ornaments disappeared from Luna and Celestia, only to reappear at Chrysalis' feet, and with a greedy grin she donned Celestia's golden yoke, slippers and crown.

"You seem to have forgotten that a Queen outranks a Princess," she sneered. "Now as my first order as Queen of Equestria: Celestia and Luna, we must ask you vacate our castle. Refuse and we will have no choice but to take you as prisoners,"

This was no longer about Discord, Celestia realised. In fact, in that moment she had completely forgotten about him. "Chrysalis, you may have taken the castle and the Crown Jewels, but the brave colts and mares of the Canterlot army are still loyal to us, and as long as we have that we will fight!"

Luna jumped in front of Celestia, her horn charging with powerful magic. She lowered her head and directed it at the Changeling Queen. She'd finally decided to take action, because talking about it was clearly getting them nowhere.

"_Enough of this!_" she bellowed. "_Chrysalis! End this now or be destroyed!_"

Chrysalis simply smirked, making no attempts to run. "Hit me with your best shot,"

Without hesitation, she released a bright, indigo blast. It seemed to hit its target dead on, but no one could be sure because of the dark blue smoke that had filled the room upon impact. Luna swayed unsteadily, weakened after putting such tremendous force into the attack, and Celestia rushed to her aid and caught her on her back before the younger Alicorn collapsed. She lowered her little sister gently to the floor.

"Luna! Are you alright? What were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry sister, but I had to act. Did I do it?"

There was silence while the blue smoke began to clear... only to reveal Twilight standing defensively in front of the changeling queen, her horn glowing green as it protected her from the blast.

"Not even a scratch," Chrysalis taunted.

The Robotnik-thing laughed again at Luna's dramatics, and Celestia didn't like the sound of it one bit.

"Well, if you are quite done…Badniks, Changelings, Elements of Disharmony: _seize them_!"

At the cry, the room erupted into a flurry of madness. Hissing, screeching, screaming, whirring and clanking deafened the room, and everything was a complete blur of activity. From the floor, Discord suddenly found he could move again. He sat up, stretching out stiff joints, surveying the scene, and chuckled as he watched karma coming back to bite Celestia in the flank.

"Oh this is absolutely rich!" He snapped his fingers, summoning a recliner chair and a bag of popcorn.

"…and I've got a front row seat! How could it get any better?"

The three metallic red-eyed creatures quickly surrounded him. Annoyed, Discord threw a popcorn kernel at the smaller blue one as it cut off his view of the unfolding mayhem. The buttery morsel bounced off its head, but it didn't move.

"Hey! Down in front!"

Before he could even think of turning it into a marvellous mess of candy and feathers, the creatures' chests opened, and he noticed several multi-coloured gems glowing inside each of them. A beam emitted from each creature, and as it hit, he felt stabs of cold pain through his entire body, like being impaled repeatedly with millions of tiny icicles, and a claustrophobic pressure wrapped tightly around him, like two giant hands gripping him like a squeeze toy. Instinctively his body tried to struggle, but once again, he couldn't move. He tried to speak but even his mouth was frozen shut. The only thing he could do was stare, in a state of unmoving shock at those strange creatures with the burning, empty eyes and try to keep breathing, though it was difficult with that unbearable compression.

Celestia took flight, avoiding the mayhem below, and was promptly tackled from the air and pinned to the floor. The breath was knocked out of her, and she looked up to see two black and white eyes leering at her: the unfamiliar eyes of her former faithful student. She struggled to get free but the corrupt Alicorn was surprisingly strong.

"It's me," Celestia babbled uselessly. In some blind way she believed that simply talking to Twilight would snap her out of it. "Twilight, faithful student, it's Celestia, don't you remember at all?"

"I am faithful only to the Queen," she replied, in that strange, deeper voice. Her horn glowed with a charging spell…and then with a grunt she was suddenly shoved aside. Celestia clambered to her feet, and smiled when she saw Luna there, fending off Twilight with her magic. Reluctantly, she added use of her magic to her sister's, and Twilight was thrown from the staircase into the throng.

"Sister," Luna panted. "We must leave. We cannot possibly fight on our own,"

She hesitated, but unwillingly nodded and took to the air, taking one final, despairing glance at the castle and her former home. Her wings felt like lead, and each beat away from Canterlot stabbed a dagger of guilt deeper into her heart. Luna stayed by her side, directing a worried glance at her when she stopped and turned, and they were only able to watch as the distant city fell to the foreign invaders.

"Luna," Celestia whispered, as tears began to fall. "What have I done?"

The Robotnik-thing was prattling on about something as the creatures took Discord out of the castle —a victory speech possibly— but he hadn't heard a word. All his focus went into trying to breathe.

He looked stoic and mildly shocked on the outside, but inside he was screaming in a wild-animal panic. The pain and the pressure hadn't left, and he was certain that, if he was able to move, he would've been reduced to a quivering, unflattering wreck. His life as a lawn decoration hadn't felt like this. It had been uncomfortable and extremely tedious, but nowhere near as painful. On top of that, the Robotnik-thing hadn't said a word to him since they'd left the castle—it seemed more pre-occupied with talking to itself or occasionally the three creatures that followed it like weird, pineapple-headed guard dogs- and of course Discord had a million questions clouding his head at once that he couldn't voice.

As they approached their destination, the Canterlot Gardens, a hulking, shadowy mass became the focus of his field of vision. And it appeared that's where they were headed. As they got closer he noticed it was a muddle of black metal mostly, scattered around the skeleton of something that was yet to be completed, many metallic creatures swarming in and around it like busy ants. There was one part of it that looked fully complete, and they moved up a small ramp to what seemed like a dead end.

The Robotnik-thing pressed a button on the outer wall. It slid away as if it had a mind of its own, and they continued down a broken hallway.

Finally they stopped outside what seemed to be another wall, but at another press of a button, it, too, parted to one side, revealing what lay within. The room was exactly square, about five meters by five meters. The only source of light was an eerie, pale blue glow from a tiny speck that floated idly between two hexagonal, pronged platforms; one hanging from the ceiling, the other implanted in the floor. He was ushered to the very center, to a dark grey, slightly raised platform. Yet another press of a button and a whirring sound filled the room. A large, glass dome descended from a hatch in the ceiling, trapping him beneath it, and eight thin poles rose from the floor inside, surrounding him. The unmistakeable, droning, crackle-snap of electricity sounded as a current surged to life and connected them. At long last, the crushing pain of the beam ceased as it was shut off, and Discord buckled, gasping for air for the second time that night.

At last he managed to rise to his feet. He straightened, dusted himself off…and applauded the Robotnik-thing with slow, sarcastic claps.

"Well!" he huffed. "Apart from being nearly suffocated twice- I repeat: _twice_- I must say that I've _quite_ enjoyed tonight's entertainment, Mister Whatever-You-Are,"

It was occupied with the three metal creatures, and ignored his mockery, taking out the multi-coloured jewels—Discord guessed that they might've been diamonds or something— from their chests and placing them gently into a simple, short cylindrical podium bearing seven indentations in which the gems fit perfectly.

"The name is Doctor Robotnik," It replied almost dismissively. "And if you must know, I'm a human being,"

From his tone, he seemed to expect an awed response, but the draconequus scoffed. "A human? They only exist in fiction,"

"Perhaps in your world, but in my world, humans are very real,"

He was bored now. He sensed a lecture on the history of the human's world and tuned out, taking in his surroundings. His means of imprisonment looked oh-so-much like a snow globe; he figured he'd add his own 'personal' touch.

"Are they as real as a snow storm of white chocolate ice cream?"

Discord snapped his lion paw to summon the flurry…only to be met with silence and a lack of ice cream-y 'snowflakes'. Frowning, he tried to summon his chaotic magic several more times, but he was unable to make it rain green squirrels, turn the Doctor into a winged egg or worse still, teleport out of his cage.

"Strange…" he muttered. "This normally works,"

Robotnik perked as he noticed distress in the draconequus' voice. He fit the last gem into its place and spun on his heel, still trying to appear indifferent as another button-push summoned a chair and a desk/keyboard hybrid from the floor.

"Oh, I forgot to explain," he said with a smile. "This cage is designed to harness and control your chaotic powers. You won't be doing much unless I wish it,"

"_What_!?" Discord protested. He felt like laughing at the concept. It was an obvious paradox: controlling chaos- how delightfully ridiculous it seemed- but for once he didn't relish the idea. It conjured an image of chains, with others telling him what he could and couldn't do and him obeying obediently like a faithful pet. He tried to repress a shudder.

"One does not simply _control_ chaos!"

This time Robotnik couldn't help but laugh slightly at his captive's doubt.

"Oh, but _I_ can, with the help of the seven Chaos Emeralds!"

He sounded like an advertisement.

"Chaos…_Emeralds_?" Discord asked, amused. He couldn't hide a smirk as his gaze wandered to the podium in which the 'emeralds' sat. Of _course _they were emeralds. Rationality declared that emeralds were green and _only_ green, but these mutated gems were unusual. They were right up his alley.

Oh, they were _so_ aptly named…

The doctor was busy typing furiously into his keyboard, and didn't even bother to look up.

"Yes," he replied, "They are a necessity I've brought from my world. I figured I'd need all seven of them if the Queen and I were to complete our goal,"

Discord made a show of yawning, feigning tiredness. "And what 'goal' would that be?"

"For now, you needn't concern yourself with such matters. But I do require your help,"

"My help? What do you want from me?"

"I want you to create chaos,"

"Huh?"

He'd finished with the keyboard, and began pacing the perimeter of the cage, with both hands clasped behind his back, like a tourist regarding a creature in the zoo.

"Yes, my chaotic friend. I have heard much about your particular form of chaos and I wish to see it for myself. Just think of this as your own personal bubble where you can do whatever you wish,"

"Well, so sorry, '_friend_'," Discord hissed. "But I only create chaos when I feel like it, and even though I applaud you and chrysalis for evicting Celestia and putting on a wonderful show, I certainly won't do it for some bloated egg man who imprisons me like an animal!"

The draconequus smirked as the Doctor jerked to a halt, right in front of him, and from the look of shock he knew the insult had struck home. The human turned, observed the smug expression on the creature's face…

Then something shifted. Discord hoped it was just a trick of the light, but the slow, sadistic grin that suddenly spread over Robotnik's face suddenly seemed wider, toothier, and downright maniacal, like he'd _wanted_ Discord to be defiant.

"Oh…" he said, and his voice sounded lower, slower and smoother. He produced a remote control from his pocket and held it up mockingly in front of Discord's face.

"…What a shame,"

He practically purred the words, and the lack of any emotion in his voice whatsoever was worrying. His thumb hovered teasingly over the single button on the remote, and, acting on instinct, the draconequus backed up, bristling distrustfully.

Robotnik continued to grin as he pressed the button and held it down.

Discord tried to scream as tendrils of electricity and pain surged through him, but every muscle in his body seized simultaneously and began to spasm; his whole world was now only blinding light and flaring agony and jumbled thoughts and _make it stop make it stop make it stop!_

And the Doctor was still smiling that Cheshire cat grin.

The current shut off, and he fell to the floor, twitching. Tiny needles of pain still pricked all over, and there was a buzzing in his head. He felt somewhat...incomplete, and just lay there for a moment, trying to compose himself. When Discord finally found his voice it was as jittery as the rest of him.

"W-what is this...what are you d-doing to me…?"

"It's very, very simple," Robotnik replied. Discord didn't want to look up, but simply the sound of that voice sent chills through his spine. It was rational, yet wild. Tolerant, yet impatient.

"If you won't produce the chaos, I'll have to extract it out of your body myself,"

It was the callous, unfamiliar voice of a madman.

The electricity hummed to life a second time. Discord's breath hitched and his claws scratched and scrabbled uselessly at the floor of the cage as he convulsed again, writhing like a wounded snake.

"Now you will learn the same lesson as Equestria: submit to the Robotnik-Changeling Empire and you will be allowed to live, but defy us—"

A loud wail of agony finally escaped him as the button was pressed a third time.

"—and we'll make you beg for death,"

So, there you go. Any reviews will be rewarded with muffins, chocolate milk and cotton candy.

XO Valley-and-Tyro


	2. Chapter 2

_In case we missed replying to reviews, here they are now:_

_**Guest: **__First, thank you for the compliment. It means a lot to us to know that you enjoy our fanfiction. Sorry if it takes us a while to update but it takes time and my TAFE course in music occupies a lot of my time . This is the first time I have dealt with writing for this strange and wonderful world of crossover and it gets a little difficult at times. But I hope this has been worth the wait._

_**sonicfan13: **__Here you are! Oh and given your name, I have a feeling you and Tyro will get on quite well… _

_**TranscodeShadowCerberus (aka, my adopted little bro): **__Sweet Cheeses, complicated pen name much? What about 'Digital-Doggie-of-Darkness' or something… Heh, yeah the ending was Tyro's idea. I like writing spooky Robotnik…_

_**321abe: **__No, sorry, this story will not have any shippings. I say to each their own but I have never been able to write (or stomach) a pairing. _

_**Alara Rogers: **__Yay! It's awesome that I intrigued you…I'm trying to do something a little different with this category of crossover and I hope it's working._

_**Thatdudethere789: **__Thank you, hope you enjoy this chapter too!_

_**Gold the Fox: **__Aw, stop it, you're embarrassing. *blushes* Your stuff's awesome too!_

_**Cotton candy and chocolate milk for all! (That's **__**metaphorical**__**,**__**TSC!)**_

_This chapter was a little difficult to write because I admit I'm not so good with action scenes or dealing with multiple characters at once, hence why it's taken so long to update (sorry again)…the tragedy of crossovers right? Aaaaanyways, on with the story! Oh, and it's obvious we don't own MLP or Sonic, otherwise we'd both be living quite comfortably and the MLP toys would be __accurate__. *Ahem* Okay no more babbling now.  
_

* * *

**Chapter Two: Equestria In Chains**

Three months passed, though no one could be certain because the sun hadn't risen since the attack, making it officially the longest night in Equestrian history. The Robotnik-Changeling Empire thrived, bringing with it not a moment's peace for the citizens of Equestria, who were always on the run due to the constant shifting weather patterns and the threat of slavery. If the weather didn't keep them fleeing for their lives, the patrolling Changelings and strange, metal creatures did.

Rumours spread like wildfire; the only source of news they had, though most of it was fabricated. The stories ranged from worrying to ridiculous: The strange, metal creatures were called 'robots', Robotnik was a creature from space, the Robotnik-Changeling Empire planned to destroy the world. The most popular, yet controversial, was the gossip on the former Element Bearers and the Alicorn princesses. Ponies claimed that Discord had possessed them, or Robotnik had tortured and enslaved them. No one had seen the Princesses since the fall of Canterlot Castle so most assumed they were dead, although many raised heated debates. Eventually reliable sources confirmed that they were, in fact, very much unharmed (there had even been sightings in Ponyville and Los Pegasus) but they went by a new title: The Pain Six.

These same informants led underground movements all over Equestria. They refused to surrender, even under pain of death, and while their efforts were mostly futile, the Equestrian Rebels inspired several uprisings from the prisoners in the Canterlot dungeons and never fell short of members.

In the main throne room of Canterlot Castle, Doctor Robotnik sat in the elegant chair that once belonged to Princess Celestia, glued to the screen of his computer. He smiled as two of his creations checked in to report on the day's victories.

"Mecha Sonic, was there any show of resistance?"

**"****Negative. Population of designated area: Trottingham…captured. Currently en route with captives. E.T.A: eighteen minutes,"**

"Metal Sonic, What of you?"

**"****Residents of location: Los Pegasus…were more resistant than previously calculated. Losses equated to twelve buzz-bombers. However, we were victorious. The ones who surrendered are en route to Canterlot castle. The rebels were given the choice: roboticisation or extermination,"**

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, fully aware of the resistance groups. But it wasn't an issue, so long as said resistance groups weren't spiky, blue and terminally smirking.

"…And what was the verdict?"

**"****Death toll: calculating…" **the vivid blue robot paused, and a multitude of blips and beeps could be heard through the speakers**. "…Seven pegasi, four unicorns, ten earth ponies,"**

"Unfortunate. Next time, bring them back kicking and screaming if you must. Otherwise, great job. Both of you, return to base for recharge immediately,"

**"****Affirmative,"**

Both the robots spoke in unison, before the two screens flashed static. As Doctor Robotnik switched off his computer, his attention turned to Chrysalis, who was standing by a window, looking out at the horizon intently. She hadn't moved or said anything for the last half-hour, a solemn expression plastered on her face and her ears pinned back in agitation.

"Well, only twenty-one fatalities this time; I must say that's a new record," he began, in an attempt to break the awkward silence between them. "The Equestrians are showing less and less resistance,"

Chrysalis gave a doubtful "_hmmph_"_._

"As long as they are still out there, the Equestrians will _continue_ to be resistant," she finally muttered.

"You don't mean Celestia and Luna do you? I'm sure if starvation or dehydration hasn't taken them, then one of our soldiers has,"

"It hasn't been reported. They are still out there; I just know it. Who _else _could have started these rebellions? If we don't apprehend them, they will find a way to take us out,"

Robotnik leaned back in his chair with a light snicker and a sigh of contentment. "You sound like me,"

"Then you know how it goes," Chrysalis continued flatly. "There is always at least one who tries to interfere,"

He did. Robotnik, of all people, knew the rituals _so_ well he could've written books on the subject. And the interfering 'one' had been the bane of his existence for as long as he could remember, so of _course_ he knew how it went. He sighed again, irritably, knowing she was right but far too proud to admit it.

"Must you bring that up now? You're killing my good mood,"

Chrysalis turned from the window to briefly scowl at him. The Doctor had been incessantly happy for the past month, announcing each hour the castle had been 'pest-free' (he was up to hour seven-hundred-and-thirty and counting), and in general taking a very unprofessional approach to the whole situation. She did admit, however, that the vibes his love of success gave off were delicious; but she could only stand so much.

"Good," she hissed icily. "Maybe now you'll realise how big of an issue this really is."

Robotnik's happy demeanor was starting to give way to frustration; everything was working out _right_ for him, for once in his life, and here she was trying to bring him down again. Even the constant paranoia he felt had started to ebb. At the start, it had been worse. He hadn't slept or relaxed for even a moment, constantly keeping himself alert because it just seemed far too good to be true; the moment he let his guard down, a certain adversary of his would interfere. He had been so wound up that he'd panicked when he'd seen something blue streak past one of the windows, and he had torn through the castle screaming that 'he'had followed them! Battle stations, everyone, and spare no expense!

It was just a bird, Chrysalis had told him after her laughing fit had calmed down. Nothing more.

"We haven't heard from the Alicorns since we took over," Robotnik countered. "Don't you think that means something?"

"It means you're a fool! For all we know they could be planning an attack on us at this very moment!"

"My robotic minions are more than capable of taking on anything Celestia can throw at us!"

"And what makes you so sure _my_ army won't have to save your buckets of bolts?!"

Oh, that did it. He _hated_ when people doubted his methods. He got up from his chair and approached Chrysalis, and when she turned around to say something more, he was in her face.

"Do you doubt the strength of my Badniks over your flying copy cats?!"

"Are you suggesting my changeling warriors are weaker than your walking hunks of junk?!"

"Are we interrupting something?"

Both Robotnik and Chrysalis turned their attention towards the large double doors as the Pain Six sauntered in, a giant ruby floating behind the group. Along with the new collective title, Chrysalis had given them her own personal nicknames, to fit with their new identities.

Twilight Sparkle became Midnight Ripple.

Fluttershy became Batterfly.

Rainbow Dash became Shadow Flash.

Applejack became Orangecrush.

Rarity became Vanity.

Chrysalis had called Pinkie Pie something else that she now couldn't remember, but the corrupted pony had confronted her, yelling that she _hated_ the name, and insisted on Pinkamena instead.

They forgot their argument, and Robotnik resumed his usual official-business manner, clearing his throat and turning away from the livid Changeling Queen.

"Ah yes, welcome home..." He began, but stopped himself as he noticed something, or rather, some_one_, was missing. He let out a sigh of frustration. "Where is she _this _time?"

"I never left!"

The voice came from the ceiling, and he looked up to see Shadow Flash drifting lazily around the room, a content grin on her mouth.

Robotnik felt his eye twitch. This had been going on for _far _too long, and he often forgot he was dealing with the only one in the group who didn't obey like a faithful pet. But he tried. With all his stubborn determination, he _tried_.

"How many times have I told you to stick with your team?!" he chided.

She gave an apathetic snort, flicking her hoof dismissively. "Meh. I don't need these chumps,"

"The feeling is mutual," Batterfly sneered. "Shadow _Crash_!"

The grin faded. She darted down from the ceiling and the two glared at each other, nose to nose. "You wanna start something?!"

"Enough!" Robotnik yelled. He could feel a migraine coming on if this continued. For crying out loud, he had left his world to get _away_ from the frustration.

"Pain six! What do you have to report?"

Orangecrush was the first to step forward, the pale blue mare proudly puffing out her chest as nothing but lies tumbled out of her mouth.

"Well, I tracked down and destroyed Celestia and Luna, no thanks to Vanity over here, drooling over whatever sapphire she had hogged from Los Pegasus,"

The black unicorn was busy polishing the large ruby that she still held onto with her magic as if it would kill her to let go of it.

"First of all, Orangecrush," she began, not taking her focus off her prize. "You wish! Second, look at this beauty! It's the size of a pumpkin! And I must say that old mare put up quite a fight over it, but I came out on top,"

"Pinkamena?"

Chrysalis turned her attention to the dark teal mare, whose face was completely devoid of any positive emotion, a frown permanently creasing her features.

"_What?_" she snapped. The queen prompted her to report on her day.

"I found a group of traveling refugees, and just as they were trying to lift their spirits by singing traveling songs, I crushed their food cart! With no food they'll have two choices: live as our slaves or die of starvation!"

Robotnik couldn't help but be impressed with the Element of Desolation's mindset.

"I like the way you think, Pinkamena!" he chuckled, and turned to the navy blue Pegasus.

"And how did your trip to the Everfree forest go, Batterfly? Rounded up some new recruits I hope?"

"Those Timberwolves were nothing more than a pack of wimpy puppies. The Hydra gave me a little sass, but I just gave him The Slap!"

"Well done my dear,"

"I'm not your 'dear'...Dr Egghead!"

"Hey that's _my_ line!" Shadow Flash yelled. Within a second, she was in Batterfly's face again, eager for a fight.

"Aww, boo hoo hoo! Cry me a river, build me a bridge, and _jump off it_!" Batterfly said. She turned around and her tail whipped across Shadow Flash's face before she could retort. Before they could begin another scuffle, Midnight Ripple separated them with her magic, yelling at them to knock it off.

Chrysalis addressed her favourite of the Pain Six, her olive green Alicorn apprentice.

"And how was your assignment Midnight Ripple? My most faithful student,"

She gave a smirk as the corrupted Alicorn bowed before her in a show of respect. Since the corruption, Chrysalis had been shaping her into her own personal soldier, steering her off the path of harmonious magic and teaching her the art of violence. It was the perfect revenge: undoing all of Celestia's hard work and even mocking the Sun Princess's title for her. For all her paranoia, Chrysalis had to admit this was worth being proud over.

"Great queen Chrysalis, noble Doctor Robotnik—"

The Doctor quirked an eyebrow, still not used to the flattery even after three months.

"—I went to the Canterlot library as requested, and found every book on offensive magic I could find."

"And what did you learn?"

Midnight searched the room, and her horn stirred with eerie green fire as her eyes fell on a nearby robot. The metal pawn halted in mid-stride, the beam that fired from her horn hitting it in the chest. A fiery glow ignited inside it slowly, and it began to tremble, eventually shuddering violently and sparking as greasy, black liquid leaked from it. It finally fell to the floor, twitching for a few moments in the growing pool of oil before it stilled.

She grinned at her work. "I learned how to raise the temperature of any creature's blood and vital organs, effectively burning them up from the inside,"

"Very impressive, my dear Midnight, very impressive indeed."

"Thank you, my Queen, But I have yet to have a chance to try it on a living subject,"

"And that will be a demonstration I can't wait to see," Chrysalis said, giving her 'student' an approving nod.

"Thank you, my Queen,"

"You are _such_ a teacher's pet!" Batterfly remarked, but Midnight ignored her.

"What do you ask of us next, my Queen?"

"I want all of you to go to the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the Canterlot library. I want you to look for anything that may give us an indicator as to where Celestia and Luna could be hiding, or even better, if there is a way to locate an Alicorn life signature,"

"As you wish,"

"You guys can do the boring stuff," Shadow Flash said. "I wanna chill on the roof. Call me when there's some actual _action_ goin' on,"

"You're useless anyway!" Batterfly sneered.

"So are you!"

"Now, now, girls," Robotnik said. "Remember what I told you about working as a team?"

Shadow Flash scoffed at the word 'team', and flew off.

"The Doctor is right," Chrysalis said as she returned her gaze to the window. "Even now Celestia and Luna are out there somewhere…"

* * *

It was hard to ignore that pestering gut feeling that something would go wrong. Celestia and Luna, plus three of the remaining Wonderbolts—Soarin, Fleetfoot and Spitfire—had made their way agonisingly slowly through the clouds, avoiding buzz-bombers or whatever else was patrolling the skies. They stood outside the castle, hidden from view while the three military pegasi stayed among the clouds. Celestia had been voicing her worries the entire time.

She hadn't been the same after the attack on Canterlot Castle. Luna had only just managed to get her into Cloudsdale before the older Alicorn collapsed, practically breaking down from guilt. For a few days after that, Celestia wrestled with her doubts, wondering if she had done the right thing, why she had abandoned her subjects, if she was even fit to be considered a leader after all this. Finally, Luna snapped her out of it: with words that she hadn't been proud of saying and a sharp slap. Celestia had simply stared at her in shock, before embracing her sister gratefully. Apologies were exchanged, and all was forgiven, but that feeling of helplessness still gnawed away at the older Alicorn. Especially now, since they were returning to the very place they had abandoned.

"Sister? Are you alright?"

Her sister gave her a nudge, interrupting her thoughts and reminding her why they were right outside enemy territory.

"I'm fine, Luna, are you ready?"

"Yes, but..." she hesitated. Up until now, she had kept her own doubts to herself, and now she tried to find a way to admit to her that this was a crazy idea.

"…I am not sure if you are,"

Celestia knew she was right. She couldn't remember the last time she had a full night's sleep, a proper meal or even drink of water that didn't taste like pond sludge. The only things that kept her going were naps that lasted no more than an hour, the odd drink of stagnant rainwater and whatever scraps of anything even remotely edible they could find. That and her high hopes.

"We have no choice," she replied. "If we are to take back our home we have to strike while we have the chance,"

Luna had been worried about her sister's physical and mental health since the ordeal began. The older Alicorn was noticeably weaker and frailer, and she knew that it wasn't just because of the obvious.

She hadn't felt the sun's rays for three months, and it showed. Her snowy coat was faded and dirty from travel, hints of showing ribcage giving away her malnutrition. Her pastel mane was lacklustre and no longer flowed in an invisible breeze, but lay in unmoving tangles. She barely had the strength to perform even the simplest spells and it was getting worse the longer the moon remained in the sky. With the dark circles under her eyes, lack of energy and her unstable mind, she was more of a wilted sunflower than a Goddess.

"'Tia, please listen to me. You are not thinking clearly, we do not even have a proper plan. What are we trying to accomplish?"

Celestia honestly didn't know what she was doing either, and if she did, she had forgotten; she was using all her energy just to keep conscious. What was her plan? The Wonderbolts had volunteered to create a diversion, but what then? Was she going to hold the Doctor and the Queen hostage and demand their troops stand down? Would she somehow find a way to bring the Element Bearers back to the fight for harmony? Or would she just magically find a big red 'make-everything-better' button?

She really didn't know.

"We have the element of surprise on our side Luna. We'll have to improvise, be unpredictable,"

Luna gave a sulky sniff. "I am not sure I want to risk your safety in the hopes that being random will save us,"

Celestia was beginning to get frustrated at her sister for questioning her, especially now when they were about to fight for their freedom, but then she remembered that not listening to somepony close to her was exactly how all of Equestria was doomed in the first place.

"Luna, don't worry about me, I want you only to worry about yourself. If things take a turn for the worse in there I want you to retreat to Ponyville regardless of whether or not I'm behind you,"

"It will not come to that, sister,"

"Are you ready?" Celestia repeated.

Luna sighed, but she wasn't going to back down now. There was nothing in the world she wanted more than the tyrants' downfall and the restoration of Equestria to its former glory. She cast all negative thoughts from her mind and nodded, letting out a nervous breath.

"As ready as I've been since the beginning of this,"

"Alert the Wonderbolts,"

Luna sent up a silver spark, and had anyone noticed it, they would have seen only a shooting star flash across the night sky, and not a signal to advance.

Spitfire, Soarin and Fleetfoot had taken cover in a patch of cloud when they saw Luna's signal. They jerked to attention, and Spitfire addressed them in her no-nonsense, military manner. The fame meant nothing to them now. Since the Princesses had encouraged the Cloudsdale resistance (Soarin, being the starry-eyed thinker, referred to them as The Harmony Hunters because it just sounded _so_ cool), they had vowed to serve their country to the best of their ability, to serve the _Princesses _to the best of their ability. All three pegasi had donned their military attire, and as their own personal symbol, a makeshift brooch had been fashioned: the winged lightning bolt symbol typical of the stunt team, except the wings were larger, more elegant and one was indigo instead of white to represent the Alicorns.

"Okay team, what do we have to do?"

"Create a distraction," Soarin said.

"Keep attention away from the princess for as long as we can," Fleetfoot said.

"And most importantly?"

"Never surrender!"

Both pegasi spoke at the same time, with all the enthusiasm they could muster without drawing too much attention to themselves. Spitfire grinned, and the three readied their wings.

"Wonderbolts, let's make Equestria proud,"

Celestia and Luna watched as the team streaked down from the clouds. The grand double doors that marked the entrance were reduced to splinters and hanging hinges as they crashed through them. They didn't see what happened next, but a cacophony of sounds split the calm air, growing louder as the Wonderbolts brought the fight out of the castle and into the streets of Canterlot. Celestia took that as their sign to advance.

At that moment, Celestia was thankful of her extensive knowledge of the castle. She recalled a certain secret entrance she and Luna used in their youth to escape or sneak into their rooms undetected. They exchanged knowing smiles as they made their way towards it, fully aware that even Robotnik hadn't found it or would even know that it existed. At first glance, it seemed just a part of the castle's masonry, but a brief spark of energy from Celestia's horn revealed the door, and it slid aside silently. Luna chuckled softly as they headed up the concealed hallway.

"I never thought I would be using this entrance again," she said, and Celestia snickered.

"Remember when Father finally caught you sneaking out?"

"Of course. You sound just like him whenever_ you_ get angry,"

For the first time in months, the two shared a genuine laugh. They continued reminiscing and giggling until they reached the end of the hall, and the laughter abruptly ceased, hardly a breath taken as Celestia sparked the wall. Like before, it slid away soundlessly, and it took all of her courage just to peek around the corner.

The room was clear.

Finally allowing herself to breathe again, Celestia stepped into what had once been her elegant bedroom, gazing longingly at her magnificent circular bed. Right there and then, she would've gladly abandoned the raid, just to sleep in her own bed again. Even Luna eyed it enviously. Three months of sleeping restlessly on whatever they could find had certainly taken its toll, and now the sight of a bed, a _proper_ bed, was a little more than satisfying to the eye.

Celestia wasn't even aware that she was moving toward it until Luna pulled her back, though every fiber of her sisterly being thought it best if Celestia rested while she explored.

"We should—," she began, but Celestia interrupted her.

"I _know_," she snapped, and realised too late how callous her tone sounded. Luna flinched, her ears pinning back and her face creasing in anger as she prepared to retort. But the older Alicorn closed her eyes and sighed apologetically, trying to gather her thoughts from her muddled mind.

"I'm sorry. I'm just tired,"

All was forgiven, and reluctantly the two sisters moved on.

Before they left Celestia's chambers, they peered out cautiously to make sure that the coast was clear of changelings and metal warriors.

The hallway was empty.

They made their way down the corridor, keeping their eyes peeled for danger or anything that could be of help to them.

The view from one of the windows caught their attention and outside they could see the Wonderbolts in their battle, though it had become clear that it was starting to become too much for them. The team were having trouble staying together, more and more swarms of changelings and 'buzz bombers' were beginning to limit their airspace, but the valiant pegasi managed to keep moving; only swooping close to the ground to thin the herds that were hot on their tails.

"They are starting to tire. How much longer do you think they can stay airborne?" Celestia asked.

"I'm not sure. But we must haste before—"

Suddenly the two were silenced.

A pegasus shot up into the sky like a loosed arrow towards the Wonderbolts.

"Soarin! Look out! Shadow Flash incoming!"

It was Fleetfoot who had spoken, and the powder blue pegasus barely had time to turn before he and his teammates were knocked out of the sky. For a split second, Soarin had been confused as to whom Fleetfoot had referred, but as the corrupted pegasus crashed into him, the thought that crossed his mind before he hit the ground was: _wasn't she the one who saved my pie?_

From inside the castle, Luna and Celestia could only look on helplessly as Shadow Flash fought with Spitfire, a vicious battle between Valkyries, but the Wonderbolts' leader was easily overwhelmed, she was too exhausted, and the corrupted pegasus that had once worshipped her was too fast, and too strong. But even as Spitfire lay defeated in the dust, she still tried to get up again as Shadow Flash turned her attention to Fleetfoot.

"Rainbow Dash!"

She stopped, whirling around to face the source of the voice.

Soarin struggled to his hooves, fixing the corrupted pegasus with a pleading stare.

"I remember you. You saved my pie at the Gala, we hung out at the Royal Wedding and you saved all of us twice. You're a friend to me, Rainbow. Remember how you told me how much you wanted to join our team?"

Soarin realised it was a cheesy thing to do, really, but he didn't have any other plan. She darted forward and tackled him to the floor, but some naïve part of him searched her black and white eyes for any sign of Equestria's Best Young Flyer. She had reacted to her true name, after all, and not the stupid nickname they knew her by now.

There was nothing. Not a single sign that told Soarin that Rainbow was still in there.

"I don't _do_ teams," She spat. "They'd only slow me down,"

She brought both hooves down hard on Soarin's head, and he knew no more.

Celestia cried out from inside the castle, unable to watch the scene anymore. "We have to help them!"

She spread her wings to take flight but Luna unwillingly held her back with her magic.

"I wish to help them as well, Sister, but we cannot draw attention to ourselves,"

"But we _can't _just—" the older Alicorn broke off, not knowing how to finish. She looked out the window again…

Just as one of the red-eyed metal minions—the Silversonic— was carrying the Wonderbolts away. Shadow Flash had disappeared. It passed right by the window, but it hadn't seen them. However, Spitfire managed to keep her eyes open, and she saw the shocked expression on Celestia's face, but smiled, trying to reassure her Princess.

"Don't worry about us," she murmured weakly. "We'll be fine. Just go,"

The minion halted, appearing to have heard her, and Luna and Celestia froze, not even daring to breathe.

_Please, please keep moving, _Celestia willed it silently. She hated herself for thinking that but understood that they couldn't do much if it captured them as well.

Whatever divine force they prayed to in the hopes that the grey minion would pass them by was clearly not listening. The robot turned its head and locked both sisters in its blank, scarlet stare. The rest of its body followed in the direction of its head until it was fully facing them, and it dropped the almost-unconscious bundle of Wonderbolts to the ground as it would drop a bundle of dirty washing.

Even so, the alicorns remained motionless, believing in some blind way that it hadn't seen them. Then it spoke. Up until now, they didn't believe it was capable of speech, but its 'voice' was droning, metallic, emotionless.

**"****Eliminate Alicorn threats: Priority One,"**

They ran, clawing their way along the corridor that proudly displayed the many stained-glass window tributes to Equestria's heroes, tempted to look back at the sound of a violent, tinkling crash. Faint, heavy, frantic steps sounded behind them and it was only then that Celestia risked a glance behind her; the minion was pursuing them, but it was slower than they were and more awkward in its movements.

She skidded to a stop before the archway at the end of the hall. She knew the castle's interior too well: that arch led to another corridor, which eventually led to either the throne room or back to the grand staircase at the castle's entrance.

It would be too big a risk to take that route; there was no doubt that, even after the Wonderbolts' diversion, it was still teeming with changelings and robots. Panting slightly, Celestia whirled to face the metal minion. It was still far behind, but gaining gradually; the hall, thankfully, was long and they were quick on their hooves, but she realised that eventually, if they didn't act quickly, it would catch up, and they would be in for the fight of their lives or forced out into the sea of changelings.

Even Luna backed away. The screeching hisses of changelings reached her ears and she, too, faced the minion, bristling and ready to fight.

Suddenly the two jolted as the creature spoke again.

**"****Doctor Robotnik, come in. Currently in pursuit—"**

"_NO!_"

Before it could finish, Luna fired a blast of indigo energy at it, and it staggered back in mid-stride, seemingly disorientated. Celestia scanned the surroundings anxiously, desperate for a way out, as Luna continued to interrupt the minion's attempts to contact Robotnik.

There was only one option if they wanted to avoid the changelings: they'd have to go back the way they came.

With a nervous breath, Celestia backed up, preparing for a running start. Then she cantered at full speed toward the minion, and at the very last second, when it seemed to think it had her, she leapt straight up and over. Her wings spread wide and with the help of one, strong flap, the downward stroke gave her the momentum needed to bring all four hooves down, hard, on top of its head. Something twanged from inside it, and, oh, she hoped it was something _important_. She felt a dark satisfaction as she landed and turned, just in time to see it stumble and fall backwards, but its red eyes barely flickered and she knew she had to keep moving. She buckled slightly herself, the effort a little too much on her undernourished body, and shook back a wave of dizziness that swept over her without warning.

As it recovered, Luna decided to try her sister's stomping tactic for herself. She took flight and charged at full speed toward the mechanical beast just as it raised its head. The crimson pinpricks burned into her mind but she remained fervent, and kept her course. Her forehooves slammed into its face with a sickening crunch, and it fell onto its back, she tucked in her wings suddenly, gravity taking hold and bringing her down with more force on the thing's head. She stepped down and gave its face a final stomp for good measure, before she returned, panting, to her sister's side.

"HA! Let us see you call your master without a mouth!" Luna beamed.

Celestia was proud of her. She barely had enough strength to make her own attack, but her younger sister managed to summon the strength to take down one of these elite guards. It felt like the first thing that had gone right since the beginning of the feeble raid.

Then the minion twitched.

Slowly it began to pick itself up, sparks flying out of what remained of its face; it was a colourful mess of wires and scrap metal, only one 'eye' still alight and fixed on the two sisters.

**"…****Currently in pursuit of Alicorn princesses. Current location: Canterlot castle, east tower. Send all available units. Approach with extreme prejudice…"**

They stood there gaping, high hopes completely shattered: They thought they had brought down this mighty, metal warlord and now it was climbing back to its feet. Their efforts had done nothing except get them past it, but somehow that was the worst part.

"That…th-that's not _fair!_" Celestia stammered, and as it came for them again, Luna practically had to drag her away. With a grunt of exhaustion, the older Alicorn forced herself to start running again, back down the corridor.

The Gardens caught her eye.

She cast a glance to Luna, and her younger sister nodded in understanding. Their silent plan, which they dared not reveal aloud to the enemy, was to lose the accursed metal demon among the twists and turns of the Palace labyrinth.

Suddenly the footsteps ceased. There came a new sound: a whirring, electronic sound like someone starting a buzzsaw. When they dared to look behind them, the minion had become a whirling ball of blades, aimed in their direction and steadily picking up speed, and the two sisters nearly tripped on their own hooves in an attempt to run faster.

At the last minute, they both swerved, exiting the castle through its new hole in the wall. They heard it whiz by, and then the breaking of wood and stone and glass as it detected, too late, that they had strayed from the predicted path. Luna snickered as they approached the hedged arch of the maze's entrance, slowing their pace to a quick walk now that they had the chance to breathe.

"It does not seem overly bright, does it?"

Celestia said nothing. In all honesty, she was sulking, depressed, and angry that nothing had gone right for them. What did she think they'd accomplish in one try anyway, Equestrian peace? It seemed like a foolish idea, now that she thought about it. They had no plan, no allies anymore, and it was quickly starting to look like they had no hope either. It was two Alicorns against an army; the chances of them emerging victorious from this fight were paper-thin, and she wasn't the overly optimistic heroine that would triumph over all odds, she knew that. Celestia was the tired, hungry, thirsty refugee begging for respite and acting on a thoughtless whim. Not to mention, since the moon had remained in the sky for three months now, Luna had the advantage over her in terms of power. And Luna? In all honesty, she was kidding herself. She'd been encouraging, sure, but there was a fine line between hopefulness and gullibility, and the younger Alicorn was bordering on the latter.

_What are we doing?_ _What were we thinking? We aren't heroes… _

Her thoughts cut off as she smacked into an immobile Luna.

"What in the world is _that?_"

Celestia wondered the same thing as they abandoned the plan to hide. It was too dark to see what it was fully, but in the moonlight, she made out a large, shadowy mass, bits of red and yellow and fins. Before Celestia could protest, Luna had already approached it. She sniffed at, then prodded it, and since it seemed to be made of metal like every other foreign enemy, Celestia automatically tensed, preparing for another fight. But the metal giant made no move whatsoever. Luna continued to explore its perimeter, and finally she came across a red disk on the outer wall. Her curiosity got the better of her once again, and at the poke of a hoof, the wall slid away. She called Celestia over, and although the older Alicorn was reluctant, they both stepped into the metal thing. Immediately, what drew their attention was a faint, blue light glowing somewhere down the hallway, and they followed it, eager to seek its source. By now, Luna had gotten used to the idea of pressing buttons, even if the technology was unknown to Equestrians, but as they reached the source of light, even she hesitated. Soon enough her hoof pressed down and the wall slid away, revealing a chamber.

Celestia took two steps in and froze. Some kind of a machine occupied most of the space in the room: a large, glass globe with eight thin poles around it, a pale blue electric current connecting them. Next to it, attached by a mess of black wires, were two trapezoid platforms, one on the floor, one hanging from the ceiling. Both had three vicious looking prongs splayed across the top of the platforms, and in the middle, a pale, sparkling, shapeless mass swirled and crackled, beautiful and somehow disturbing all at once. Inside the orb, coiled up and facing away from them, his head resting between his lion paw and eagle talon, was Discord. In all honesty, Celestia had forgotten about him. That day three months ago suddenly flashed into her mind at the sight of him and she couldn't help but think back: Twilight trying to make her see reason, the trial, how she'd lost control of her emotions.

How she'd nearly killed him.

Luna noticed her distress. She stretched out a wing and brushed at her big sister's face, and it was only then that Celestia became aware of the tears rolling down her face. She gave Luna a small smile, the kind that reassured the younger Alicorn that she was okay, and sniffled back her emotions, trying to stay strong. Discord's ear twitched slightly at the sound, but he didn't make any other movements, and it seemed like he might have been asleep. Finally, Celestia found the strength to move again, and she circled around to the other side of the orb, hoping that maybe Discord would have some information that would help her out. Luna stayed by the door, keeping watch for any signs of trouble.

"Discord? Is that really you?"

No reply.

He looked miserable. He was scarily thin, weary and pale, and he no longer had that familiar, mischievous fire that she knew so well. His fur was unkempt and matted with sweat, his claws worn down to blood-caked stubs, and she noticed the patchwork of scratchmarks covering the floor of the cage. Even his wings drooped flat against the floor and it seemed like he barely had the strength to lift his head.

He was watching the glittering form tumble and spin with a kind of morbid curiosity, but at the sound of Celestia's hoofsteps, his eyes flicked in her direction. He blinked, almost as if the sight of the ragged Alicorn before him was a mere hallucination, then the confused expression on his face turned to malice and his eyes narrowed.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," he growled. "What are _you _doing here?"

Immediately she felt that all-too-familiar pang of guilt. She lowered her gaze to the floor, ashamed to look him in the face and once again fighting tears. His bitter tone told her clearly that he hadn't forgotten what had happened. Oh, the things she'd said to him that day were awful, things she never considered saying to anyone.

"_I should have known you couldn't be reformed,"_

_"…__It's what you deserve. To say the very least,"_

_"__I'm not sorry,"_

With hesitant steps, she approached his glass prison.

"Discord, I'm-"

"Oh, _save it_.Why did you bother coming back?"

That stung. He was rapidly chipping away at her defences—and he knew it too—bringing her dangerously close to completely breaking down in front of him and that was the last thing she wanted. Celestia drew a strained breath and met his eyes again.

"Because," she said. "We are trying to put a stop to all this madness,"

Discord let out a light chuckle, the kind that would normally lead into his usual burst of mocking laughter, but he didn't have the strength for it today.

"Who?" he teased, and that acid seeped into his voice again. "You and Little Luna? How dramatic of you,"

"Three of the Wonderbolts were with us," she continued, and the mere thought of them cracked the floodgates even more. Tears stung her eyes but she blinked them away. A lump rose in her throat but she gulped it back.

"They were…c-captured,"

She cursed herself silently for letting her voice tremble.

_Do _not_ cry. Not in front of him._

"You're part of a _rebellion _now? Did you leave them for dead as well?"

Discord smirked at the pain etched into her face. He seemed to be enjoying this a little too much; it was the most fun he'd had in over three months. And yet, he was all _about_ rebellion. He opened his mouth to say something more, but Celestia cut him off as she let out a loud and rather unexpected sob.

"You don't get it!" she wailed, and suddenly she didn't care anymore if Discord saw her cry. "I _wanted_ to help them...we're supposed to be in hiding and we couldn't risk being seen but now they know we're here because of the Robotnik-thing's stupid minion! Nothing has gone right for us at all…oh I don't even know what I'm _doing _anymore!"

From the doorway, Luna cast a glance over to the cage, her brow furrowing in irritation as she saw her big sister collapse, overwhelmed with emotion. She checked the hallway quickly, and made her way over to Celestia's side.

"Let's go, sister," she said softly. She helped her up, draped a wing over the shuddering Alicorn, and glared at Discord. "He is not going to be cooperative,"

That seemed to work like a punch in the face. He didn't think that they would leave. Maybe get a little annoyed with him, but not leave. Suddenly the draconequus realised that he was going to be alone again, all because was being his usual bratty self. He would be alone…and Robotnik would come back. The thought made him cringe.

_Put away your pride, put away your stubbornness, put away your sarcasm. They can help you and you know it._

Better to feel like an idiot than have his lifeforce drained again.

"_Wait!_" he cried out, and his voice was more frantic than he intended it to be. He struggled to rise but his poor, worn-out muscles wouldn't let him. He hated himself for this show of weakness, but he hated what Robotnik was doing to him even more.

Luna and Celestia were halfway out the door when they heard two words they thought they'd never hear from the spirit of chaos:

"I'm sorry!"

Still sniffling, Celestia stopped as they worked upon her mind. There was no trace of sarcasm, or malice, and it sounded so unlike him. Instead, his voice was sincere, meek and…anxious. She'd lost track of how long she'd waited to hear him apologise for causing unhappiness, and even though Discord saw the gesture as trivial and meaningless, she was willing to forgive him. Even though she owed him an apology more. Luna glanced at her in shock.

"Did he just…?"

"I think he did…"

She approached him again, despite the tears still rolling down her face. His mismatched eyes were owlish and staring up at her, and he was shaking and panting from the effort he'd put into trying to get up.

For the first time in her life, she actually pitied him.

"What in Equestria are they doing to you?"

Discord was shocked to see Celestia actually showing sympathy towards him. He bit back one of his usual retorts and sighed.

"Robotnik's draining me, I think," he replied. "He said my power would prove useful, but he hasn't said what for yet. He keeps telling me 'cause chaos, cause chaos', but it's never enough, apparently…and then he just takes it from me. Through electrocution. I've decided I hate humans…"

The joke was a clear defence. He shivered at the thought of the constant electric shocks. He wasn't sure how long he'd been put through this torture, but he still hadn't gotten used to the pain, the horrible, emptying, exhaustion he felt once the process was finally over and the incessant buzzing in his head that kept him awake when he wanted to sleep, and alive when he should have been long dead. It was maddening, and for Discord to admit that, that was definitely saying something. And that's where the two alicorns came in.

"Please…get me out," he begged. _Begged_. Ugh, he'd never begged for anything from anyone in his life, but he cherished the thought of freedom, in that moment, more than his dignity. His pleading tone turned anxious and despairing.

"You don't know what it's like. I can't sleep, I haven't eaten, I should be dead, but for some reason, I'm not. But I want to, Celestia. I'd rather die than be caged up like this!"

At that moment, Celestia didn't see Discord as the manipulative demon he'd once been, though he had tried to keep up the reputation even in his tortured state. She saw him as a creature cruelly abused for no rational reason. No matter how infuriating he could be, even she wouldn't wish this on him, or on _anyone_, and because of that, she felt even worse for wrongfully accusing him.

"Don't talk like that! Of course I'll get you out," she said, and saw his face brighten just a little. She paced around the machine, looking for a switch or button or some kind of power source. "How do you turn this thing off?"

"I don't know. Try the generator,"

"The what?"

Discord sighed impatiently. "The thingy over there with the Emeralds in it,"

He managed to lift his tail slightly, pointing in its direction, before it fell heavily back to the floor.

Celestia approached it warily, still not accustomed to the strange technology, and gasped in awe at the sight of the 'Emeralds'. She had never seen an emerald outside of the typical shade of green before, and what was more, they had an unnatural shine, almost a kind of glow.

"What kind of emeralds _are_ these?"

"The Doctor called them 'Chaos Emeralds'. And before you ask, I have no idea what they're for besides making me feel absolutely _dreadful_. Now. _Get. Me. Out_,"

Celestia decided to risk it. Her magic flashed to life and sheathed all seven gems in a golden glow as she levitated them out of the generator.

Immediately a piercing, electronic buzzing filled the air.

Shocked, Celestia lost her focus, and all but two of the Emeralds fell to the floor. She set them quickly into her saddle-bags and whirled, trying to seek the source of the sound. Now Discord panicked: the machine had shown no sign of shutting down; his hopes of escaping were becoming bleaker the longer Celestia stood there like a fool.

"For goodness' sake! Just blast the cage!" he yelled over the shrillness of the alarm.

She heard him; only just, and fired a quick blast of energy at the glass. It bounced off harmlessly, leaving only a smouldering smudge. Concentrating hard, she began charging up a stronger spell, wincing as her exhausted mind ached in protest.

"Sister, we have to go," Luna spoke up worriedly from the doorway.

"Give me a minute…"

"_Tia, now!_"

With an exasperated cry, she released the spell…

And the glass stayed intact.

She shook off the dizziness, somehow managing to remain conscious through sheer force of will. Her blood froze in fear as she heard the familiar whirring-clank of Robotnik's metal minions approaching, and she glanced back helplessly at the caged draconequus.

"I don't have the strength," she said, and the look of disappointment on his face broke her heart. "I'm sorry, Discord, I'm so sorry. We will return for you, I promise,"

He managed a small smile and a rough attempt at a dismissive shrug, even though he wanted to scream at her for not staying to help him.

"Well, you tried," he said tiredly. "You know, I'm most likely delusional, but…I think I might've _actually_ enjoyed the company,"

She actually laughed a little, but didn't reply. Just before she turned to walk out of the chamber, before she abandoned him _again _and he went back to watching the swirling mass, he called to her again.

"Oh, and Celestia?"

For a final, fleeting moment, her eyes met his and for just a fraction of a second, Discord's mismatched eyes sparked with a playful, anarchic flame. The slight, weary smile turned into his usual mischievous grin and he managed to raise his head and shakily pump a fist into the air.

"Viva La Revolution,"

* * *

**_A/N:_**_Ugh, I think this chapter could have gone better, so if there's anything that you guys don't like, chances are I probably agree with you. This is what comes from not having a beta reader (Tyro and TSC don't count because it's smile and nod most of the time for them, I swear…). Oh also Tyro has somehow talked me into cosplaying with him for the upcoming Supanova. As Tails. Because he wants to be Sonic again. Sigh. -.-'_

_Since I agreed (__**cough**__outofpity__**cough**__) and am currently battling with stubborn yarn and egotistical TAFE lecturers, the next update may be a while, sorry._

_Please stay with us though, we promise the next chapter will be worth the wait._

_XO_

_Valley-and-Tyro_


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